NORWICH striker Cameron Jerome scored for the fourth game in a row against his old club Cardiff to continue his hold over them.
And his 40th-minute winner ensured the Canaries made it a hat-trick of league wins.
Many fans at the start of the season would have had Norwich nailed on for automatic promotion. But finishing 2016 on a run of just two wins from 12 league games has killed off any hopes of reducing a 14-point gap to second-placed Brighton.
“Reaching the top two will be difficult,” said Canaries boss Alex Neil said. “We’ll have to go on an incredible run, which we have done before. But we’ll have a real focus on getting into the play-offs.
“We’re starting to hit good form at the right time. This is the time in the season to build momentum. We’ve now won three in a row after a good spell and it feels as if the players have real confidence at the moment.
“Our away form has been poor and I’ve been critical of it. We haven't been doing the ugly side of the game but we more than did that against Cardiff.
Denne historien er fra February 05, 2017-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
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Denne historien er fra February 05, 2017-utgaven av The Football League Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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FUMING GRANT'S BLAST PAYS OFF
CHOICE words from Grant McCann at half-time did the trick as Doncaster Rovers came back to secure a point against classy Notts County.
BOSS MARTI'S ON A MISSION TO RESCUE R'S ALL OVER AGAIN
ARTI Cifuentes proved he was up for a challenge when he took the manager’s job at QPR just over a year ago.
HUSTLE FROM RUSSELL NETS DERBY SPOILS
HEAD coach Darrell Clarke praised goalscorer Jon Russell as his Barnsley side earned all three points in a home victory over South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham United.
DAVIES AGONY AS BLUES BLOW IT
ADEJECTED Chris Davies gave a bleak assessment of his Birmingham City side’s draw against Northampton Town.
WARNOCK: ONLY A GAME? IT'S LIFE OR DEATH IN SHEFFIELD!
JUST another game? Don’t pull that one on Neil Warnock, a Sheffield native, boyhood Blade and managerial veteran of nine Steel City derbies.
BISHOP AT THE HEART OF POMPEY WIN
COLBY Bishop’s spectacular return after heart surgery was a well-kept secret, said Portsmouth manager John Mousinho.
ACE VAKOUN CLEANS UP FOR THE HORNETS
VAKOUN Bayo took the plaudits once more after his goal sunk Oxford on Friday.
ANDI'S AT DOUBLE TO SPARK AWAY JOY
BLACKBURN Rovers boss John Eustace believes his team gave a text-book performance to get a first away win of the league season at Cardiff.
COV CATCH BLACK CATS NAPPING
SUNDERLAND head coach Regis le Bris was frustrated his players couldn’t build on two moments of first half magic that should have seen off managerless Coventry City at the Stadium of Light.
FARKE: WE HAVE THE WINNING MENTALITY TO STAY COURSE
Pressure mounts on Hoops manager
